Rosé Picnic

The Rose Picnic may not be your first thought when it comes to high-end men’s fashion, but that proved otherwise to all that attended.
Infuse was lucky enough to attend the event to learn more about Toronto based designer Zane Barlas and his stylist Timothy Hanchett.
Despite the unconventional runway and uncertainty it held, Barlas and Hanchett remained calm cool and collected during the preparation, taking time with each look and double checking each model that stepped through the doors. In one word, the backstage prep seemed smooth. In the fast-paced world of fashion, any new or unfamiliar event is normally filled with stress or anxiety, but from observation alone, this was not the case for the pair.

“It was a cool concept to have an interactive runway show,” Hanchett explained, “And I like that the models and designers worked so closely together. Kind of like a big family.”

The show itself was unique. An informal runway; models walked around the booths, past the DJ and gorgeous rose covered selfie wall, passed some of the food vendors and all the way back to the entrance of the hotel. At first glance, it may have been unclear that there was a fashion show commencing, but as soon as guests saw sharply dressed, exquisitely styled men making their way down the walkway, it was impossible to ignore.

 

When asked about styling inspiration, Hanchett mentions the influence of a typical picnic scene, a ‘great gatsby-long island’ vibe that is just a tad toned down. The collection followed a red, white and blue theme with variations of beige and browns. You could tell that there was an influence of past traditional picnic wear with the boater hats while incorporating a modern and wearable palette. Hat’s off (literally) to both stylist Timothy Hanchett and designer Zane Barlas for putting a unique twist to picnic attire.

 

As the final walk commenced, Barlas Stunned the crowd by casually stopping the models mid-lineup and posing them all for a show-stopping photo, dead center of the runway. It was truly outstanding, and definitely a memorable moment for each guest at the picnic.

Backstage after the final show-stopping lineup, Barlas and Hanchett openly answered questions about future projects. Barlas was humble beyond words and received each praise graciously. The talent and success of his brand are met with hard work and honesty.

The exciting changes and additions to the Zane Barlas brand are still confidential, but we can remind all true Toronto fashion lovers to stay tuned…especially the ladies.

You can read the whole in-depth article here.

Written by Timothy Hanchett

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